This is a door I stumbled upon while out on walk with my wife at Cavallo Point in Marin. It's from the Battery Yates, located at Fort Baker and built in 1903.

It looks gallery worthy. You've got rusted bolts and corrosion caused by years and years of salt air. That combined with stenciled type layered on older stenciled type with faded out graffiti. I also love the welded door hinge that is keeping history locked up behind its closed doors. If only this door could talk.

As the weather warms up, I encourage you to get out there and explore and keep your eyes open for nature's next masterpiece.

Who says printing is dead? These days lots of companies opt out on printing and just offer PDF versions for their customers to download. The digital age has had a huge impact on the printing industry. Short run printing or on-demand printing has forced a lot of family run shops to close as well. It's just too hard to compete with their pricing.

5 Color Press

This is why, when I can, I like to support family run print shops like T&J Graphic Arts. I've worked with them for over 20 years and when I was a kid, I use to accompany my dad on press checks there. Those were the days when film, overlays, rubylith and registration marks were the norm.

T&J has been operating out of the same location since 1958. The business was started by Jack Hislop and his father Tom. These days, his son Don runs the shop and handles everything along with his wife Janet.

I was at a press check this morning and got a pleasant surprise. Jack was there and he was working the presses with Don. It took me back to the days when print was fully alive and digital didn't even exist. The digital age has made us more efficient and sped things up, but I miss those days of press sheets and smeared ink on your hands. Here's to printing never dying and family run businesses persevering!